The goal of treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is now to improve quality of life and to prevent the poor outcomes of the disease rather than to eliminate the virus from the body. This goal may be achieved via the long-term maintenance of aviremia. According to the International and Russian clinical guidelines, entecavir is the first-line drug of choice to treat patients with CHB. For almost 10 years of world clinical practice there has been evidence that entecavir has a high efficacy and a favorable safety profile in a number of randomized clinical trials and in real medical practice worldwide, in Russia in particular. For instance, the BRAVR (Baraclude Russian Analysis of Virological Response) trial of 147 CHB patients from 10 Russian cities indicated that the rate of aviremia was 85.8% (n=147), 89.9% (n=138), 89.4% (n=97), and 93.5% (n=81) at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively. In addition to its virological, immunological, and biochemical efficacies, entecavir also proved to be effective in achieving the regression of histological changes and in preventing the decompensation of cirrhosis and the development of carcinoma. The given data permit the use of entecavir for the long-term therapy of CHB with confidence.